Publications by authors named "Richard Van Wylick"

Article Synopsis
  • Pediatric pneumonia diagnoses are tricky due to overlapping symptoms with other respiratory issues, subjective radiograph interpretations, and non-diagnostic lab results.
  • The study analyzed children aged 3 months to 16 years in Canadian EDs before COVID-19, focusing on how accurately physicians could classify pneumonia types using an expert panel for consensus diagnosis.
  • Findings showed a significant mismatch between physicians’ diagnoses and consensus results, with over-diagnosis of typical bacterial pneumonia and recommendations for specific clinical and lab indicators to better identify bacterial cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming society; yet, the education of health care providers in this field is lagging. In health care, where AI promises to facilitate diagnostic accuracy, and allow for personalized treatment, bridging the knowledge and skill gaps for providers becomes vital. This article explores the challenges of AI education, such as the emergence of self-proclaimed experts during the pandemic, and the need for comprehensive training in AI language, mechanics, and ethics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To describe a virtual, competency-based skin and wound care (SWC) skills training model. The ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Ontario SWC pivoted from an in-person boot camp to a virtual format because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An outcome-based program evaluation was conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Phasing of heterozygous alleles is essential for interpreting the effects of genetic variations related to cystic fibrosis (CF), and researchers sequenced 477 CF individuals to construct haplotypes using linked-read sequencing.
  • The resulting haplotypes are visualized in an interactive web app called CFTbaRcodes, allowing for exploration of complex CF gene variations.
  • Fine-mapping revealed that a specific 20-kb deletion and a missense variant are linked to an increased risk of CF-related meconium ileus and pancreatic issues, providing insights into the genetic mechanisms involved in both CF and non-CF pancreatitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The burgeoning use of opioids and the lack of attention to the safe prescribing, storage, and disposal of these drugs remains a societal concern. Education plays a critical role in providing a comprehensive response to this crisis by closing the training gaps and empowering the next generation of physicians with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to diagnose, treat and manage pain and substance use. Curricular Development: The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) developed a competency-based, bilingual curriculum for undergraduate medical students to be implemented in all Canadian medical schools.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Over 400 variants in the CFTR gene cause cystic fibrosis (CF), and while CFTR modulators can help improve lung function, they don't work for everyone and don't address all variants.
  • - The study examines the SLC26A9 gene marker (rs7512462) and its relationship to lung function in CF patients before and after treatment, finding that certain genetic variants linked to SLC26A9 lead to better lung function and response to CFTR modulators.
  • - The research suggests that targeting SLC26A9 could offer new therapeutic options not just for CF but also for individuals with other lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: Cystic fibrosis (CF) screen-positive infants with an inconclusive diagnosis (CFSPID) are infants in whom sweat testing and genetic analysis does not resolve a CF diagnosis. Lack of knowledge about the health outcome of these children who require clinical follow-up challenges effective consultation. Early predictive biomarkers to delineate the CF risk would allow a more targeted approach to these children.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cystic fibrosis (CF) affects various organs, including the pancreas, which can lead to cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD), impacting survival rates if untreated.
  • Researchers built a CFRD prediction model using genetic data from a Canadian study and validated it with data from a French study, highlighting key predictors like sex and certain genetic variants.
  • The final model successfully identifies individuals at high risk for CFRD and has led to the creation of a web-based tool that helps doctors monitor and treat patients based on their specific risk levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Innovation Procurement Strategies (IPS) strive for purchasing healthcare solutions that do not yet exist on the market and are increasingly being advocated to improve health outcomes while managing escalating healthcare costs. Due to the newness of IPS, there are limited resources available to healthcare organizations and professionals looking to engage in IPS. The purpose of this study was to develop an evidence-based clinical framework to guide healthcare organizations and professionals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) has begun the transition to Competency by Design (CBD), a new curricular model for residency education that 'ensure[s] competence, but teaches for excellence'. By 2022, all Canadian specialty programs are anticipated to have completed the CBD cohort process which includes workshops facilitated by a Royal College Clinician Educator. Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, was granted approval by the RCPSC to embark upon an accelerated path to competency-based medical education (CBME) for all our postgraduate specialties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Implementing competency-based medical education (CBME) at the institutional level poses many challenges including having to rapidly enable faculty to be facilitators and champions of a new curriculum which utilizes feedback, coaching, and models of programmatic assessment. This study presents the necessary competencies required for Academic Advisors (AA) and Competence Committee (CC) members, as identified in the literature and as perceived by faculty members at Queen's University.

Methods: This study integrated a review of available literature (n=26) yielding competencies that were reviewed by the authors followed by an external review consisting of CBME experts (n=5).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Newborn screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) not only identifies infants with a diagnosis of CF, but also those with an uncertain diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF), i.e. CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-related metabolic syndrome (CRMS) or CF screen positive inconclusive diagnosis (CFSPID).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) adopted a plan to transform, over a seven-year horizon (2014-2021), residency education across all specialties to competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum models. The RCPSC plan recommended implementing a more responsive and accountable training model with four discrete stages of training, explicit, specialty specific entrustable professional activities, with associated milestones, and a programmatic approach to assessment across residency education. Embracing this vision, the leadership at Queen's University (in Kingston, Ontario, Canada) applied for and was granted special permission by the RCPSC to embark on an accelerated institutional path.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to analyze infants with inconclusive cystic fibrosis diagnoses, identified through newborn screening, to understand disease manifestations and outcomes.
  • - It involved 82 infants with CFSPID and 80 with confirmed cystic fibrosis, comparing various health data including sweat tests and genetic information, revealing that some CFSPID infants eventually received a cystic fibrosis diagnosis.
  • - Results showed that CFSPID infants had lower immunoreactive trypsinogen levels and that a significant number were likely to be diagnosed with cystic fibrosis within the first three years, indicating the need for close monitoring and repeat testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: We aimed to determine whether significant variations in the use of intravenous rehydration existed among institutions, controlling for clinical variables, and to assess variations in the use of ancillary therapeutic and diagnostic modalities.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of children 3 to 48 months of age who presented to 11 emergency departments with acute gastroenteritis, using surveys, medical record reviews, and telephone follow-up evaluations.

Results: A total of 647 eligible children were enrolled and underwent chart review; 69% (446 of 647 children) participated in the survey, and 89% of survey participants (398 of 446 children) had complete follow-up data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Invasive aspergillosis is a rare complication of cystic fibrosis. In this article, we describe a case of an adolescent with cystic fibrosis, which was well-controlled previously, colonized with Aspergillus fumigatus. The patient developed fatal disseminated aspergillosis in the absence of any preexisting risk factors after a short course of intravenous corticosteroid treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In Canada's judicial system there are more than 31,700 youths admitted to correctional services each year. Given the prevalence of documented medical problems and high-risk behavior in this population, it is important to assess the immunization status of adolescents admitted to juvenile detention facilities. We completed a chart review of all youth admitted to an adolescent custody facility in Kingston, Ontario, between January 2003 and October 2005.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF